18 Occupy protesters removed from Van Nuys home

An eviction operation was held Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012, at a Van Nuys house that is at the center of an Occupy protest.

December 27, 2012 12:00:00 AM PST

LOS ANGELES --

Authorities on Thursday carried out an eviction at a Van Nuys home that's at the center of a protest by Occupy protesters.

The evictions happened around 5 a.m. on Leadwell Street. Occupy members had been protesting the home's foreclosure for about four months.

Ulysses Hernandez lived in the home and said his family tried to get the mortgage modified. Los Angeles County sheriff's officials said the family had not made a mortgage payment in four years. They said the bank also made offers to help the family move.

The protesters have said the blame shouldn't fall on families, but on the lenders who sold sub-prime loans with sky rates to people who couldn't afford them and then refused to modify those loans.

Law enforcement removed 18 people from the home, including children, following a court order. Everyone left peacefully, and there were no arrests.